Carbon fork for my 88' Cannondale R500
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Carbon fork for my 88' Cannondale R500
I am looking into a carbon fork with an aluminum steerer tube for my 1988 Cannondale r500 criterium series. Would i need a 1" or a 1" 1/8 fork?
#2
Wookie Jesus inspires me.
#5
Banned.
If you found me the right exchange fork, I could come up with a C'dale Slice...
#6
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Bikes: '92 22" Cannondale M2000, '92 Cannondale R1000 Tandem, another modern Canndondale tandem, Two Holy Grail '86 Cannondale ST800s 27" (68.5cm) Touring bike w/Superbe Pro components and Phil Wood hubs. A bunch of other 27" ST frames & bikes.
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Fellas you all know I'm a huge fan of upgrading Cannondales...so that being said:
Please be careful using any fork that has an aluminum steerer (or carbon for that matter). They do fail.
Wound-Up will always make anyone who wants one a carbon fork with a steel steerer (or carbon/aluminum if you like living on the edge and light).
Please be careful using any fork that has an aluminum steerer (or carbon for that matter). They do fail.
Wound-Up will always make anyone who wants one a carbon fork with a steel steerer (or carbon/aluminum if you like living on the edge and light).
#7
Senior Member
Why you gotta have carbon?
For a carbon fork, I think unless the frame is designed for a tapered steerer, go carbon as in carbon steel for the steerer.
Otherwise, may your life be defect free.
For a carbon fork, I think unless the frame is designed for a tapered steerer, go carbon as in carbon steel for the steerer.
Otherwise, may your life be defect free.
#8
Senior Member
Fellas you all know I'm a huge fan of upgrading Cannondales...so that being said:
Please be careful using any fork that has an aluminum steerer (or carbon for that matter). They do fail.
Wound-Up will always make anyone who wants one a carbon fork with a steel steerer (or carbon/aluminum if you like living on the edge and light).
Please be careful using any fork that has an aluminum steerer (or carbon for that matter). They do fail.
Wound-Up will always make anyone who wants one a carbon fork with a steel steerer (or carbon/aluminum if you like living on the edge and light).
#10
#12
#13
is just a real cool dude
If Nashbar is on backorder for awhile. You can always find them on eBay brand new for right around the same price.otherwise Performance used to have a 1" under their Forte brand. I had both brands. One is available with a curved leg while the other is a straight leg.
#14
likes to ride an old bike
What is the advantage of the Nashbar carbon fork over a common steel fork?
I always thought carbon-anything was about weight, but the Nashbar carbon fork weighs about the same as my early-70s Columbus steel fork.
(Note: I've never rode a bike with a carbon fork, so I'm genuinely asking not flaming.)
I always thought carbon-anything was about weight, but the Nashbar carbon fork weighs about the same as my early-70s Columbus steel fork.
(Note: I've never rode a bike with a carbon fork, so I'm genuinely asking not flaming.)
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You've got this backwards. Full carbon forks are less likely to fail at the steer tube than forks made with dissimilar materials.
#16
is just a real cool dude
They also have both threadless and threaded 1" carbon forks. Every once and a while you can find a nice full carbon 1" fork on eBay but they pull a nice price(100-200).
It can go both way for threaded vs threadless. A threaded carbon fork will swap right over and you can use everything you have right now...headset, stem and save you some cash. Though you just get a little bit of a weight loss but still get the nice road dampening characteristics carbon has to offer. You still have the heavy quill stem compared to a newer threadless stem.
While the threadless would need you to get a new threadless headset, stem, shim and maybe bars. But definitely loose some weight going this route and open up your options for stems, bars choices to modern stuff. Plus your bike won't look goofy if you ever want to use a threadless stem over a threaded setup and need to use a adapter. I have a 1" threadless fork on my custom frame and it doesn't look out of place. You probably wouldn't even notice it's a 1" threadless over the standard 1-1/8" fork/headtube/headset. You just need to pick up a 1" to 1-1/8" shim which are pretty cheap at most LBS. Plus headsets are still readily available and relatively cheap depending what you want...Dia Compe Aheadset, Cane Creek, Campy, Chris King.
It can go both way for threaded vs threadless. A threaded carbon fork will swap right over and you can use everything you have right now...headset, stem and save you some cash. Though you just get a little bit of a weight loss but still get the nice road dampening characteristics carbon has to offer. You still have the heavy quill stem compared to a newer threadless stem.
While the threadless would need you to get a new threadless headset, stem, shim and maybe bars. But definitely loose some weight going this route and open up your options for stems, bars choices to modern stuff. Plus your bike won't look goofy if you ever want to use a threadless stem over a threaded setup and need to use a adapter. I have a 1" threadless fork on my custom frame and it doesn't look out of place. You probably wouldn't even notice it's a 1" threadless over the standard 1-1/8" fork/headtube/headset. You just need to pick up a 1" to 1-1/8" shim which are pretty cheap at most LBS. Plus headsets are still readily available and relatively cheap depending what you want...Dia Compe Aheadset, Cane Creek, Campy, Chris King.
#17
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What is the advantage of the Nashbar carbon fork over a common steel fork?
I always thought carbon-anything was about weight, but the Nashbar carbon fork weighs about the same as my early-70s Columbus steel fork.
(Note: I've never rode a bike with a carbon fork, so I'm genuinely asking not flaming.)
I always thought carbon-anything was about weight, but the Nashbar carbon fork weighs about the same as my early-70s Columbus steel fork.
(Note: I've never rode a bike with a carbon fork, so I'm genuinely asking not flaming.)
What are the real world (usage) implications of this? Cheaper parts are cheaper parts. Things like weight, fit and finish, fashion, and possibly ride wont be there. By ride, I mean that since a fork nearly always have a noticeable impact on ride qualities, cheaper carbon forks tend to ride different than expensive forks. The main difference, is often similar to the difference between two steel forks, one high end (like a early 70's Columbus fork) and one low end (like a low priced unicrown fork): The inexpensive fork rides a little stiffer, like less smooth over rough pavement, stiffer. They (cheap forks in general) lack the suppleness that say, an SL or 531 fork might have.
To me, the real reason to buy carbon is because it inherently dampens vibration well. Kind of like steel, but more so when applied with it's characteristics taken into account. Problem is, just like steel, it needs to be tuned well to do a very good job of it. Something like that Nashbar fork will probably absorb buzz nicely, but a nicer fork may absorb more vibration and be supple enough to bounce a little over bigger shocks. A carbon fork (even an inexpensive one) can make for a nice upgrade over most stock forks on mid level road bikes, and be a lot better than most low end steel forks but I wouldn't be as quick to trade it out if I had something like SL fork my old Colnago came with. Just the same, that Nashbar fork isn't going to ride the same as something like an Easton EC90 would ...but neither would a ~$70 Tange fork ride like a Pinarello fork.
#19
I had a Specialized Epic with a 1" Easton EC90 fork for about 2 years. It has carbon steerer. I kept the fork when I sold the bike. The fork is very light but the lack of stiffness of the 1" carbon steerer worries me. I currently have a Nashbar carbon fork with a 1" aluminum steerer on my Trek 2200, it is a little heavier but stiffer steerer tube makes me worry less.
#21
Banned.
I've tried carbon forks on several steel bikes.
I always returned to the original steel fork.
I've tried carbon forks on several aluminum bikes.
I always stuck with the carbon fork.
On one bike, the CF fork I had was perfect, needed 5/8" more threads and then cut off.
Machine shops here wanted me to buy the die, pay the labor, and they keep the die.
The closest frame shop is 70 miles away, so I stuck with the OEM fork, no biggie.
Weight savings are minimal. I like CF forks vs. aluminum forks.
I can't really tell a difference between them and the steel forks on my bikes.
5lbs of air pressure seems to make as much difference as anything.
I always returned to the original steel fork.
I've tried carbon forks on several aluminum bikes.
I always stuck with the carbon fork.
On one bike, the CF fork I had was perfect, needed 5/8" more threads and then cut off.
Machine shops here wanted me to buy the die, pay the labor, and they keep the die.
The closest frame shop is 70 miles away, so I stuck with the OEM fork, no biggie.
Weight savings are minimal. I like CF forks vs. aluminum forks.
I can't really tell a difference between them and the steel forks on my bikes.
5lbs of air pressure seems to make as much difference as anything.
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Okay, thanks for all of your answers. I will most likely get the Nashbar one, if not, a nice full carbon one on ebay. The Aluminium/Carbon combo seems more likely to fail on me. PM me if you have the fork i need.
#23
Wookie Jesus inspires me.
More likely to fail? yes. Likely to fail unless you crash or do something stupid? nah.
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C&V CF fork paranoia is an social disease spread on internet sites such as this one.
I have a number of bikes with old CF forks (Time and EMS) and newer CF forks (Performance and Nashbar, below). They are all very robust. I have cracked / broken two steel forks, but have yet to break a CF fork. Probably just the luck of the draw.\
#25
I've never ridden a bike with carbon anything. I have a frame on the way (Gimondi mystery steel) that lacks a fork. From what I've read above, and from looking for a relatively inexpensive lugged chrome threaded fork with limited success, I'm tempted to spend the $100 or so on a carbon fork from nashbar rather than go the cheap steel route. Would this be a reasonable investment?